Crispy Chili Kale Chips

Kale chips are a healthy snack, and after baking cookies yesterday, I was craving something healthy. If you have tried kale before, you know that it has a pretty bland taste by itself. There are endless ways to season kale chips, but I thought spicy chili kale chips would be sooo good, so I decided to go with some cayenne pepper and chili powder. They definitely had a good kick to them, and came out very flavorful!

When I gave the first batch to my “taste tester,” AKA husband, he thought the kale chips were really good, too. We both agreed that they didn’t taste like a “healthy snack,” and that kale chips are an excellent substitution for potato chips. I was so surprised at how crunchy they were out of the oven, and 15 minutes later they were still crunchy! I can’t tell you if they stay that way longer than that, because all of the kale chips I made were gone within minutes – we couldn’t stop eating them!

From reading comments on other recipes, it seems that baking them in an oven still leaves a significant amount of moisture, and the kale chips will become soggy if you don’t eat them right away. When I bake zucchini chips, they also will become soggy after 30 minutes from taking them out of the oven. If you are looking for something to keep to snack on for a few days, I suggest buying a dehydrator. You can probably find one on Amazon or Ebay. However, these kale chips are so easy to make that you can just make them when you are craving some!

Kristianne is the writer behind My San Francisco Kitchen. She is a graduate student currently living in San Francisco, CA in a small apartment with a tiny kitchen. Kristianne grew up cooking and baking with her mother, in southern California, who has one of the biggest kitchens she’s ever seen. When moving to the city for graduate school, Kristianne went from a dream kitchen to having about one foot of counter space! She cooks every day and absolutely loves cooking and baking. Just hand her a bowl, skillet, knife and some ingredients, and she’s the happiest girl in the world!

Recipe: Crispy Chili Kale Chips

Prep Time: 10 min(s)

Cook Time: 35 min(s)

Total Time: 45 min(s)

Servings: 2 Cups

Ingredients

4 cups organic kale, rinsed and chopped

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Cayenne pepper

Chili powder

Sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.

Add completely dried, chopped kale to a large mixing bowl and drizzle olive oil over the top.

Toss kale with two forks until all pieces are coated in olive oil. Start with 2 tbsp, and if it seems too dry use another tbsp olive oil.

Sprinkle cayenne pepper, chili powder, and sea salt over the top and continue to toss. Repeat once or twice more, but be careful with the cayenne pepper, if you're serving this to kids!

Lay out piece by piece on an ungreased baking sheet. Make sure each piece is not touching another and has enough room to bake properly. You will need 2 large baking sheets.

Sprinkle more seasonings on top if needed.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. You can check by trying one chip and if it is very crispy they are done!